blight

The City of Reno has removed 68 benches from downtown using money from its blight fund. Officials say the project is in response to complaints of panhandling.

Our reporter Bob Conrad has been covering this story for ThisisReno and says the reaction he's received from local advocates for the homeless has been overwhelmingly negative. It's also created some real questions.

Earlier this month, the Reno City Council made a controversial vote to demolish two downtown motels.

Natalie Van Hoozer takes a look at this particular case and what might be in store for Reno’s vacant buildings as the city grows.

I’m standing on Virginia Street outside of the Golden West Motor Lodge with Britton Griffith-Douglass, the president of the Riverwalk Merchant’s Association. She says that to her, the property is an eyesore.

Reno has set aside one million dollars to tackle blight across the city. Reno Public Radio's Rocio Hernandez has more.

The Blight Reduction Initiative is a response to concerns Reno residents have voiced about the image of the city.

Councilman Oscar Delgado says people of Reno deserve a cleaner city.

"I pushed hard to make sure we set aside one million dollars to reduce, to fight blight and a lot of that money is going to go towards these neighborhoods to make people feel good about where they live."

We've seen a flood of business news this week with Reno Provisions shutting its doors and the announcement of a major retailer coming to the heart of Reno. Our reporter Julia Ritchey caught up with the Reno-Gazette Journal's Mike Higdon to get the inside scoop on downtown development in 2016.

Higdon says the closing of Reno Provisions, following a highly publicized E. coli outbreak, is a major blow to the foodie movement.